Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cam Newton's NFL replica jersey can be difficult to find in stores these days.

A word to the wise if you are planning to give somebody a Cam Newton jersey for Christmas.... don't wait any longer to find it.

I had heard a number of stories from Panther fans about No.1 Newton jerseys being out of stock completely at local stores, or only available in certain sizes or colors (I'm talking about the basic jersey, in either blue, black or white, which usually retails for $85).

So I made a few calls, visits and checks to websites Wednesday and confirmed it. Some stores are out of Newton jerseys entirely and don't know when they will get more.

"We get them in," one local sales clerk told me, "and they basically sell out instantly."

The Panthers' store inside Bank of America Stadium has some jerseys for their star rookie quarterback, but only in certain sizes and colors (704-358-7158 if you want to check with them). The Panthers.com website lists only a few adult-sized jerseys for $85, and they are mostly in 4X and 5X. They do list a number of youth Newton jerseys ($60) as available.

NFLShop.com -- the league's official supplier of jerseys -- has a very limited supply of Cam jerseys and is completely out of many popular sizes. Several other national websites I checked out told a similar story.

But the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Northlake Mall -- at least as of Wednesday night -- had a surprisingly good selection when I stopped by.

I'm sure other stores around the Carolinas have some in stock -- especially the youth sizes, they seem to be a bit easier to find -- but it's very hit or miss.

Your best bet seems to be the old-fashioned way -- calling your local sporting-goods store directly before you drive out there. While websites often list the Newton jerseys as "sold out," some stores do have a few left in stock.

As I mentioned in this blog in October, Newton's jersey had already risen to No.16 in overall sales among all NFL players. After this Christmas season, I can't imagine it won't be in the Top 10 or Top 5 the next time those rankings are released.

And no, I wasn't looking for a Newton jersey for myself. The last NFL replica jersey I owned was when I was 10 years old and wore my Roger Staubach jersey every Sunday, and I'm going to keep it that way.

If you've got a story to tell about searching for a Newton jersey this Christmas -- or any other Panther-related item -- add a comment below. And please keep it clean.

16 comments:

By the way, this isn't necessarily due to Newton's popularity (at least not all by itself). Panther fans like myself simply want a jersey for a player that might still be on the team in a year or two. Newton's probably the only player that will.

I wear one jersey each Sunday, and that is the home Black #51 Sam Mills "Throwback" the NFL put out a few years ago. Ever since he was the first official retired number I had been looking for it. I finally was able to get one during the "Keep Pounding" years, and it has always been a special part of my life. While I agree adults probably should avoid idol worship of ~20 something year olds playing a sport, I'll hold on to my childhood hero for a little while longer

@Anonymous DECEMBER 8, 2011 10:55 AM :: Or perhaps Cam actually is just THAT popular. The fact that stores are getting his jersey in and selling out right away has nothing to do with the NFL going to Nike next year. Good to see a Panthers player being high on the NFL jersey sales list.

I was told by a staffer at the team store that Reebok was keeping low stock because of the Nike jerseys next season. They don't want to get stuck with dead inventory when the new jerseys are released. It's the same reason they did 1/2 off custom authentics at the start of the season, they want to clear as much inventory as they can.

I thought I had purchased one online at CarolinaPanthersStore.com - turns out it was a scam. The website is no longer available. Long story short, I had to change my bank account to avoid being charged. Be careful! There are crooks out there :(Needless to say, I won't be giving a Cam Newton jersey for Christmas now.

I must express my thanks to this writer just for rescuing me from this problem. As a result of exploring through the internet and finding methods that were not helpful, I was thinking my life was gone. Existing minus the answers to the difficulties you have resolved as a result of the blog post is a critical case, and ones that could have adversely damaged my entire career if I had not noticed your web site. Your actual skills and kindness in handling all things was precious. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had not come upon such a stuff like this. I am able to at this point look ahead to my future. Thanks so much for the professional and effective guide. I will not be reluctant to recommend the website to any person who will need counselling about this situation.Standard Motor Products TH290 Throttle Position Sensor